Managing Under Care and Mutual Client Conflicts
Starting with the assumption that we believe veterinary surgeons should be regulated and their title and work protected under law, we then need to consider how the regulator achieves right touch regulation in line with its statutory and charter powers. Following on from this, we, as regulated professionals, must work within these requirements on an individual basis in our day-to-day work, as well as collectively as a profession. What are our responsibilities in holding each other to account as veterinary professionals? What are the responsibilities of the RCVS? What does being a self-regulated professional really mean? These are difficult questions, and the issue is made even more complex when reputations and livelihoods are added into the mix on top of concern for animal health and welfare. This session will look at what the RCVS guidance on prescribing POM-Vs (aka ‘under care’) and mutual clients requires, as well as the underlying rationale. From a practical perspective, we will look at what enforcement mechanisms are available to us where this guidance is not being followed by others.
Learning Outcomes
- Why we are required to make provision for 24/7 in person care for animals under our care, and what is required to fulfil this
- How to approach a suspected mutual client situation with a fellow professional
- How to seek advice from/raise concerns with the RCVS, and the difference between the two.
